Buckle assembly machine



Sept. 6, 1949. J. A. TURlNl BUCKLE ASSEMBLY MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 19 1946 INVENTOR.

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6, 1949. J. A. TURINI 2,481,180

BUCKLE ASSEMBLY MACHINE Filed Dec. 19, 1946 2 Sheets -Sheet 2 I O I 59 5 Patented Sept. 6, 1949 BUCKLE ASSEMBLY MACHINE John A. Turini, Cranston, R. I.

Application December 19, 1946, Serial No. 717,181

1 Claim.

My present invention relates to the buckle art, and more particularly to a novel apparatus for assembling a buckle frame and roller.

. The principal object of the present invention is a to provide means for the continuous and auto frames and rollers which reduces errors, promotes uniformity, and eliminates waste of materials.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts, more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention; 1

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3a is a fragmentary view of a buckle frame strip and roller;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 4-4 of Fig.1; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of the roller closing punches.

Shoe buckles and similar types of buckles are usually made by first cutting the-buckle frame from sheet stock, attaching the roller and tongue to the frame by hand or on a foot press, and then finishing th buckle. These operations require the separate manufacture and individual handling of the various parts.

In my copending application entitled Method of making buckles, filed September 16, 1946, Serial No. 697,261, I have described a novel method of manufacture which eliminates the individual and excessive handling of parts by attaching the buckle parts to a continuous strip of metal prior to cutting out the blank. In my copending application entitled Buckle assembling device, filed November 8, 1946, Serial No. 708,678, I have described an apparatus for automatically and continuously forming the tongue and attaching it to the metal strip. The present invention provides a means for automatically and continuously forming the roller and attaching it to the metal strip. The apparatus shown in the drawings may be operated in any well known manner. However, it is preferable to attach it to and operate it by a conventional power press (not shown).

As described in my copending applications, a metallic strip is first run through a stamping press which cuts out successive openings with cross bars. Successive automatic operations attach the roller and tongue and cut the finished buckle from the strip. The present invention describes an apparatus for attaching the roller to the strip.

As shown in Fig. 3a, the strip ID has been pierced to form an intermediate bar II to which a tongue is later attached, and a lower bar l2 to which a roller [3 is attached by the present apparatus. Mounted on the base M of a conventional power press (not shown), are spaced sup-. ports [5 bearing horizontal members It and I 1 which form a channel passageway along which the metallic strip l0 isfed intermittently, Fig. 1. The intermittent feed is accomplished by a vertical shaft I8 attached to and reciprocated by the power press. A'finger feed I9 is loosely pivoted at the lower end of the shaft l8, the finger portion extending into the openings in the strip in. The rear end of the feed I9 is held upwardly by a spring 20 forcing the finger end downwardly at all times. At each downward stroke of the shaft I8, the finger l9 will kick forwardly (to the right in Fig. 1), moving the strip I I] along its channel. When the shaft l6 lifts, the spring 20 will cause the finger to pivot downwardly and slide back to engage the next opening in the strip.

As the strip l0 reaches the end of its channel, toward the center of the press in Fig. 1, it enters a working zone 2! where the roller is attached. To keep the strip in proper alignment, the rear section 22 (Fig. 4) of the channel is loosely and slidably mounted and is urged inwardly against the edge of the strip H] by a spring 23 extending from around a pin 24 on a post 25 mounted behind the channel on the base Id.

The roller I3 is formed and fed to the working zone 2| in alignment with the strip [0 and from the opposite direction. Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, a narrow metal strip 26 is fed from the right (Fig. 1) from a conventional reel (not '3 .shown). A conventional roller feed 21, driven by the power press, is mounted to the right of taneously with the downward thrust of the plunger 52, the plunger 54 having an arcuate cutthe base l4. However, instead of the usual roll- Y ers, the feed 21 has a wheel 26 mounted adjacent the upper end and wheels 29 and 30 replacing the rollers. The wheel 28 has flat spaced portions 3| and outer flanges 32, the strip 26 passing over the flat portions 3| between the flanges 32 as shown in Fig. 2.

The strip .26 is now pulled over the wheel 29 which has side flanges 33, spaced portions 34 which taper inwardly, and a central U-shaped groove 35. As the strip 26 is pulled over the wheel 29 it collapses into a wide V-shape, the central portion bending into the groove 35 and the side portions riding on the tapered edges 34, Fig. 2. L

The strip 26 now is carried around the wheel 29 up to the lowest point where it engages the wheel 30. The wheel 36, Fig. 3, comprises a single fiat disc having aknurled edge 36 which extends into the groove 35 on the wheel 29. The wheel 30 forces the V-shaped strip 26 into the groove 35 to form an inverted U-shape, Fig. 3, which it pushes laterally toward the zone 2|. Since the driving power is applied to the wheel 30 (which pulls the strip 26 through the aforementioned path), the knurled edge 36 prevents slipping and insures a uniform feed.

The inverted U-shaped strip 26 is pushed along a horizontal support 31 supported on spaced vertical supports 38. The support 31 has spaced guide blocks 39 between which the strip 26 is guided toward the working zone 2|. the forward end of the strip 26 enters the zone 2| it slides under a leaf spring 40, Fig. 4, which retains it in position during the next operation.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 4, the power press plunger has attached to it a frame 4| in which a horizontal shaft 42 is journalled. A small cireular metal-cutting saw 43 is mounted at one end of the shaft 42 outside of the frame 4|. ing pulley 44 is also mounted on the shaft 42 within the frame 4|. The shaft 42 and saw 43 are drivenby a high-speed electric motor 45 (removed in Fig. 1 to permit an unobstructedv view) through a belt 46 driving the pulley 44. The motor 45 is mounted on a platform 41 which is hingedly supported on its inner edge on a hinge-plate 46 bolted to the base l4. The platform 41 is resiliently retained in position by a heavy'spring 49 extending from a post 50 on the platform 41 to a post on the base M. This construction allows the motor 45 to swing inwardly with the movement of the saw 43.

As the power press plunger moves downwardly, the saw 43, rotating at high speed, cuts through the inverted U-shaped strip 26, cutting off a piece of sufficient length to make the roller l3. This piece is held under the spring 40 in the zone 2|. On the up stroke, the feed 21 pushes the strip 26 forwardly and the front end moves under the spring 40, pushing the previously cut piece out from under the spring where it drops onto the bar l2 on the strip l0, Fig. 4.

The apparatus for closing the cut strip piece 26 to form the roller I3 is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. It comprises a plunger 52, depending from the power press plunger, and having an arcuately concave bottom edge 53 which fits over the U-bendpf the out portion of the strip 26, as

shown in Fig. 5. The free edges of the strip 26 are brought together, as shown in Fig. 5, by a lower plunger 54 which thrusts upwardly simul- A driv out portion 55 which forces the ends together as shown in Fig. 5. The base 4 has a depending post 56 on which a rocker arm '51 is pivoted. One end of the arm 51 is pivotally attached to the lower end of a plunger 56 which extends upwardly through the base M. An operating plunger 59. depending from the power press plunger, is mounted in alignment with the plunger 58 so that downward movement of the plunger 59 causes the plunger 56 to rock the arm 51. The other end of the arm 51 is normally retained in downward position by a spring 60 positioned between the arm 51 and the under side of the base l4 and held in position by a pin 6| extending from the base l4, Fig. 4. Adjacent this end of the arm 51, a plunger 62 rests on the arm and extends upwardly through the base l4 into the lower plunger 54. Rocking motion of the arm 51 causes the plunger 62 to reciprocate the plunger 54. To insure a perfect alignment, the plunger 54 is slidably mounted in a surrounding housing or base 63 mounted on top of the base M.

In operation, at each upward stroke of the power press plunger, the finger feed l9 pushes the strip I0 a buckle width into the zone 2|, and the feed 21 pushes the cut end of the strip 26 onto the bar l2 of the strip In. On the downward stroke, the saw 43 cuts off another piece of the strip 26, and the plungers 52 and 54 shape the roller |3 around the bar l2. This action is continuous, the strip III, with the rollers l3 attached, leaving the device under the feed 21 (to the right in Fig. 1).

While I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that changes in the size, shape, and relative arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a device for applying rollers to the cross bars of buckles interconnected in the form of a strip, a base providing a working zone, a horizontal elongated guide channel mounted on said base and extending substantially to said working zone for directing said strip from one side of said base to said working zone, positive driving means for feeding said strip intermittently through said channel to said working zone, guide means mounted on said base for directing a metal strip from the other side of said base to said working zone in a direction opposite to the movement of the first said strip and to a position above the first said strip, feeding and bending means for advancing said metal strip to said working zone in inverted U-shape, a rotary saw in said working zone for severing successive lengths from said metal strip, means for applying said severed lengths to successive buckles of said strip, and a vertically movable die for bending said lengths about the cross bars of successive buckles.

JOHN A. TURINI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 366,585 Howe July 12, 1887 

